Suggestions
We welcome comments on the services provided. These should be directed to our practice manager or one of the partners either verbally or in writing to the practice.
Complaints
We always try to provide the best service possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. The following information explains our in-house complaints procedure, drawn up to respond to patient grievances. We hope you will use it to allow us to look into, and, if necessary, correct any problems that you have identified, or mistakes that have been made. Any complaints should be addressed either by telephone or in writing to our practice manager, Paula Latter.
In line with our complaints procedure you should have any complaint acknowledged within 3 days and we should resolve the complaint and reply to you in writing within 20 days. This process may include a meeting between you and the manager and/or doctor.
Most complaints are resolved within our in-house complaints procedure, but should you feel that we have not dealt with your complaint adequately then you have the right to make representation to the Ombudsman at the following address:
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, FREEPOST EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR.
Email: enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.scottishombudsman.org.uk
Stage one – early, local resolution
We aim to resolve complaints quickly and close to where we provided the service. Where appropriate, this could mean an on-the-spot apology and explanation if something has clearly gone wrong, and immediate action to resolve the problem.
Sometimes we will have to make some enquiries before we can respond to your complaint. We will give you our decision at Stage one in five working days or less, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
If we cannot resolve your complaint at this stage, we will explain why and tell you what you can do next. We might suggest that you take your complaint to Stage two. You may choose to do this immediately or sometime after you get our initial decision.
Stage two – investigation
Stage two deals with two types of complaint: those that have not been resolved at Stage one and those that are complex and require detailed investigation.
When using Stage two we will:
- acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days;
- where appropriate, discuss your complaint with you to understand why you remain dissatisfied and what outcome you are looking for; and give you a full response to the complaint as soon as possible and within 20 working days.
If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will agree revised time limits with you and keep you updated on progress. Most complaints are resolved within our in-house complaints procedure, but should you feel that we have not dealt with your complaint adequately then you can ask the Ombudsman to have a look at your complaint. You can contact them as follows:
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, FREEPOST EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR.
Online contact www.spso.org.uk/contact-us
Freephone 0800 377 7330 or call 0131 225 5300